Oh Backdrifter, thank you x
The "cartwheel" ... one of the more ludicrous aspects of the case.
But without going into detail about what actually happened, one should ask oneself this ...
From whom did we hear that Amanda was doing cartwheels?
Was it from Prosecutor Mignini, the man who paid a heroin addict to pretend that he had seen Amanda talking to Rudy Guede? (yes)
The same Prosecutor Mignini who invented a fanciful story involving sex games that got out of hand? (yes)
The same Prosecutor Mignini whose every Press statement was designed to paint Amanda in a bad light? (yes)
And was it reported in the newspapers who rejoiced in reporting Mignini's hysterical lies, even after they had been proven in Court to be untrue? (yes)
Does it not occur to some people how easily manipulated they are? Or is it a case of wanting the story to justify an opinion.
Let me explain.
The Prosecutor has managed to plant the idea in your head that he has caught the murderer ... which he hadn't ... in fact, at that time, he hadn't even arrested Rudy Guede ...
So, the Prosecutor wants to sell the idea that Ananda's behaviour was suspicious.
At this point, no matter HOW she behaves, the Prosecutor has got you into a frame of mind where he can persuade you that ANY behaviour is suspicious.
"Amanda was smiling too much ... that was very suspicious"
"Amanda kept a very straight face ... that was very suspicious"
"Amanda kept walking up and down ... that was very suspicious"
"Amanda stayed completely motionless ... that was very suspicious"
"Amanda refused to talk to anyone ... that was very suspicious"
"Amanda was chatting with everybody ... that was very suspicious"
Some people still can't see that. Even if she did cartwheels (which she didn't), merely saying that it was suspicious behaviour does not make it suspicious behaviour.
But Mignini had managed to manipulate public opinion to the point where some people were ready to take a completely irrelevant nod innocent act, and view it as an indicator of being a murderer.
It's utterly bizarre.
And how did he dupe the poor Kerchers into going along with his incompetence?
Your daughter has been stabbed to death. We are suspicious about her flat mate Amanda, because we saw her doing a cartwheel.
Okaay. So you're not suspicious about her friend Rudy, who had recently been arrested for house breaking, and for the theft of a kitchen knife, and who fled from the town the morning after the murder.
Burying a knife in the woods, throwing something shiny into the river, and disposing of your clothes in a hurry, borrowing some money so you can get the first train out of town in a big hurry ... those are, in conventional detective work, seen as better clues than "doing a cartwheel".
Curiously, even after Mignini has been shown to be a manipulative liar, with a lurid imagination, who will fabricate anything to make an innocent person appear guilty ... even than, some people are STILL buying in to the whole Mignini "she's a witch" campaign.
And I'm not sure why.
Actually, no, I've got a good idea why. There are still people who desperately, desperately want to think that Amanda is guilty, and will clutch at the most hair brained bits of irrelevant "information" to try to justify their belief.
Frankly, Mignini might as well have said "I noticed that Amanda had mousey brown hair. That made me very suspicious." In fact, as I am also cursed with mousey brown hair, perhaps I should avoid going to Italy for a while. I might get arrested.